Tiger Woods gets some Love

U.S. captain begins battle of wits

Ron BorgesTuesday, August 14, 2012

Credit: AP

Tiger Woods tips his cap to the gallery as he walks off of the fourth green during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament on the Ocean Course of the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, S.C., Sunday.

Love was willing to announce yesterday what we already knew, which was the name of the first eight members of the American team that will take on Europe next month at Medinah in the 39th Ryder Cup. He was happy to name the addition of two assistant captains, Scott Verplank and Jeff Sluman. But when asked by a British journalist if newly crowned PGA champion Rory McIlroy, who hails from Northern Ireland, is the best player in the world, Love took a mulligan.

“He’s obviously one of the best players in the world,” Davis said. “He’s a great young man. He’s a lot like Rickie Fowler, wise beyond their years.”

Rickie Fowler? Look, I like America as much as anyone, but Rickie Fowler?

Fowler has a colorful wardrobe, hats that don’t quite fit right, great skills and one PGA Tour victory. McIlroy has a less colorful wardrobe, wears his hats the right way, has better skills and two major championships. Rickie Fowler?

Davis was, of course, beginning the process of what makes the Ryder Cup so much different from even the majors. The biggest and one of the few team events in the sport, the Ryder Cup is as much about gamesmanship as it is about golf or sportsmanship. It’s about getting an edge, something Anthony Kim managed in 2008 early in the opening Sunday singles match against one of Europe’s best but most mercurial players, Sergio Garcia.

A brash, confident Kim did not want to follow golf’s long-standing tradition of conceding short putts in match play, instead saying to Garcia after both players stuck their approach shots to three feet at the first hole and the Spaniard offered a double concession, “Let’s putt ’em.” Though they both made their putts, some believe an apoplectic Garcia never recovered, losing 5 and 4 in a rout that propelled the U.S. to its first Ryder Cup since 1999.

So Love was using his own gamesmanship, pumping up one of his own players and refusing to glorify an opponent. He was laying the ground work to win back the Cup the Americans lost two years ago at Celtic Manor in Wales.

Frankly, golf is the farthest thing from a team sport, so when it becomes one, it creates a level of pressure players are not used to. As McIlroy described Sunday after capturing the PGA Championship, becoming the third-youngest golfer to win two majors, “There’s a different pressure with playing in a Ryder Cup. You know, you’re not just playing for yourself. You’re playing for your teammates. You’re playing for your country, and that brings a whole different type of pressure. I can handle losing if I’m just losing for myself, but if I have to go back into the team room and feel like I’ve let down another 11 guys, it doesn’t feel very good.

The Americans know that feeling. They’ve lost six of the past eight Ryder Cups. It was especially gut-wrenching at Celtic Manor, where they lost 141â„2-131â„2 despite seeming to be in control for a while. Davis alluded to the fact that he will consider the ability to deal with the pressure and close out victories when he makes his four captain’s picks Sept.â€‰4. Two are expected to be Ryder Cup veterans Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker, the latter because he has been a strong partner with Tiger Woods, although Davis would only hint at that.

In the end, golf will decide the final makeup of the team, but the mental side of winning in such a format cannot be ignored. The pressure of the Ryder Cup is such that European team captain Jose Maria Olazabal told a story last week about how the great Seve Ballesteros declined to be the first to tee off in his first Ryder Cup even though that’s how it had been lined up.

“It’s something you’ve got to factor in,’’ Love said. “Who can handle hitting the first shot of the Ryder Cup?’’

Not everyone, but one guy Love believes still can handle it is Woods, who failed to shoot a single round under par on the weekend of the four major championships this year, shooting himself out of contention at the U.S. Open and the PGA. Despite those failings and the rise of McIlroy, who many speculate has become Woods’ final great challenger, Love made clear which way he would lean if a dream Tiger-Rory pairing comes up at Medinah.

“I’d want to go watch that one,’’ Love said. “You want to play the best. You want to play a guy who’s hot. When Rory gets ahead, he’s pretty amazing. He’s one of the best. You can tell he’s caged up and ready to bust loose. He’s a lot like Tiger. The bigger the stage, the better he plays.

“But we don’t see it as Tiger vs. Rory. We see it as U.S. vs. Europe. Both teams are deep. No getting around that. Other than Jose Maria, nobody’s been perfect. Nobody’s got a 75â€‰percent win ratio. It comes down to whom do you want on your side? I’ll take Tiger Woods.’’